Vegetable-cutter.



W. S. MYERS & O. G. KAHNE.

VEGETABLE CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1908.

939,951 Patented Nov. 9. 1909.

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W S. MYERS & G. G. KAHNE. VEGETABLE CUTTER.

AIPPLIOATION FILED NOV. 30, I908.

- 939,951. Patented Nov. 9. 1909.

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WILLIAM S. MYERS AND CHARLES C. KAHNE, OF ASHLANZD, KENTUCKY.

VEGETABLE-CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 30, 1908.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909. Serial No. 465,282.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM S. MYERS and CHARLES C. KAHNE, citizens of the United States, residing at Ashland, in the county of Boyd and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vegetable-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in vegetable cutters and has more particular reference to a vegetable cut tor of that type which comprises a hopper and a rotatable cylinder cooperating with the hopper and having its peripheral surface provided with cutting knives.

The primary object of the invention is to provide novel means whereby the knives may be adjusted to vary the thickness of the cuts and the particular means by which this object is carried out comprises an adj usting member having wedge-like portions which act upon a gage part provided on the cylinder and adjust said gage part with respect to the cutting knife, whereby the desired thickness of the slices cut may be readily determined.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a structure of the general type indicated novel means for removably assembling the cylinder with respect to the surrounding casing and to the operating shaft. By virtue of such means, the cutting cylinder may be quickly and conveniently removed without dismantling the machine, and another cutting cylinder having knives of different form may be as conveniently substituted. In this connection it may be stated that in lieu of a cutting cylinder a grating cylinder may be employed, the same novel means of removable assemblage being used. Such means comprises more particularly fingers provided on a disk carried by the operating shaft, which fingers engage in openings provided in the end wall of the cylinder and, in analogy to a ratchet clutch mechanism, when the shaft is turned in one direction, the fingers transmit 'such movement to the cylinder, and when the shaft is reversed the fingers withdraw from said openings, at the same time imparting a slight movement to the cylinder in the direction of its axis whereby an accidental reengagement of the fingers with the cylinder is positively prevented.

The invention has as a further and colstructural details of the invention.

lateral object the provision of means for holding the knife adjusting device, in the positions in which it may be set, whereby the determinate adjustment will not be varied by the accidental slippage of the adj usting means.

The invention has as a further object the provision of means for reinforcing the out ting cylinder and for preventing distortion thereof and such means comprises more particularly a skeleton frame assembled within the cylinder. This frame for the purposes of convenience and simplicity carries the wedge-like adjusting parts above referred to.

The manner in which the above and other objects are attained will be set forth in the following description which explains the Such description is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein is illustrated a preferred and advantageous embodiment of our improvement, and the novelty of the invention will be set forth in language of proper determinative scope in the claims appended at the end of this specification.

In the said drawings:Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a vegetable cutter constructed in accordance with the present invention, the supporting means therefor being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a central transverse sectional View of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the cutting cylinder and the adjusting frame assembled therein. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the cutting cylinder. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the adjusting and reinforcing frame per 86. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view illustrating the manner in which the wedgeshaped adjusting parts act upon the gage pieces. Fig. '7 is a detail perspective view illustrating the connecting and transmission disk provided upon the operating shaft, and Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1 illustrating an adjustable connection between the sections of the supporting device.

Similar characters of reference refer to corresponding parts through the several views.

The improved vegetable cutter is indicated generally by the numeral 1 and its support by the numeral 2, such support being made in sections, the lower section 3 having a clamp device l at one end thereof for engagement with a table or shelf and the upper section 5 being attached to and carrying the outer cylinder 6 of the cutter structure. The sections 3 and 5 are formed with alining slots 7 through which is extended a set screw 8 which cooperates with a block 9, the latter having a lug 10 which engages in one of the slots 7 and prevents the block 9 from turning with the set screw when the parts are being clamped.

The vegetable cutter preferably includes the outer cylinder 6 above referred to, an inner cylinder 11 which is the working cylinder and in so far as the removability thereof is concerned may be constructed with cutting knives or with grating surfaces, and a hollow operating shaft 12. In addition to these elements, an adjusting and reinforcing skeleton frame 13 is employed, when the cylinder is used for cutting purposes and is provided with knives which are formed in a manner to be hereinafter set forth.

The cylinder 6 has at its upper side an open-ended tube 14 which constitutes a hopper and which shall be hereinafter referred to by such name, the hopper 14 being of any suitable form and being arranged above an opening formed in the side of said cylinder. The latter has also an open end and a closed end as 15. The end wall 15 is formed with an axially extended bearing sleeve 16, within which is disposed the hollow operating shaft 12. The shaft 12 projects beyond the sleeve 16 and its projecting portion, as 17, is reduced and squared for engagement in the end of the crank handle 18, by which the shaft is turned and therewith the working cylinder 11. The cylinder 11 has an open discharge end and the opposite end of said cylinder is closed by a disk shaped end wall 19 which is formed at intervals with openings 20, the latter being preferably of rectangular outline.

The shaft-l2 carries on its inner end and within the cylinder 6 a disk-shaped plate 21. having angular inwardly projecting fingers 22 struck out therefrom. The fingers 22 engage in the openings 20, and when the shaft 12 is turned operatively, the forward end walls of the openings 20 catch in the notches afforded by the finger 22 and by virtue of such engagement the cylinder 11 is turned with the shaft 12. When it is desired to disengage the cylinder 11 from the shaft 12 whereby the former may be inoperative, the shaft 12 is turned in a reverse direction and in such movement the fingers 22 engage the rear end walls of the openings 20 and by virtue of their angular disposition, in such engagement, serve as cams to impart a slight axial outward movement to the cylinder 11, which movement is sufficient to disengage the end wall 19 of said cylinder from the plate 21, at which time the shaft 12 may be turned in either direction free of the cylinder 11. Vhile the fingers 22 and openings 20 constitute the preferred means for operatively connecting the shaft 12 and the cylinder 11, allowing of the removability of the latter in the manner described, the invention in practice is not limited to this form of connection, and other connections within the terms of the claims and by which the same functions are served may be employed when advantageous or desirable. In so far as the removability of the working cylinder is concerned, the specific formation of the working face of said cylinder is immaterial, and the invention of course in this regard may be practiced with either a cutting cylinder, a grating cyllnder, or any other form of working cylinder which it may be desired to use.

\Ve have shown in the drawings a cylinder constructed for cutting purposes and in connection with such a cylinder we employ, as stated in the introduction, a means for regulating the thickness of the slices which are cut by the knives of the cylinder, which means is regarded as a novel feature of the invention. As an example of a preferred form of such adjusting means, the cylinder 11 is provided with knife edges and with gage pieces adjacent to such knife edges, which gage pieces are adjusted with respect to the knife edges in a manner and by the means to be described.

The cylinder 11 is constructed at suitable intervals with slits 23 extending obliquely of its peripheral surface, which slits at their ends are extended as at 24 circmnferentially of said cylinder. One edge of each slit 23 is sharpened to constitute a cutting knife, as 25, and opposite the cutting knives 25 are gage portions 26 which are defined by the slits 23 and their extensions 24. The material of the cylinder 11 is preferably somewhat resilient and the gage portions 26 therefore have a natural tendency to dispose themselves in coincidence with the knives 25. The said knives may have straight cutting edges for ordinary cutting work or their edges may be of irregular form, an example of which is shown in Fig. 3, wherein the knife 25 has its edge scalloped or waved, such formation adapting said knife 25 for bread cutting purposes.

The preferred means for adjusting the gage portions 26 with respect to the knives 25 is illustrated in detail in Fig. 5 and such means comprises a skeleton frame designated generally by the numeral 27, and which incidentally serves as a reinforcement for the cylinder 11. The frame 27 comprises two annular end pieces 28 which are connected by longitudinal straps 29. The inner end piece 28 is provided with a transversely extending bar 30 which carries an axially extending stem 31, the latter passing through and projecting beyond the shaft 12 and having its outer end squared as at 32 for engagement by a wrench or other suitable tool which may be employed for turning the frame 27 with respect to the cylinder 11, in efiecting an adjustment of the gage portions 26. The rings 28 are formed at intervals with thickened portions 33, 33 each of which is provided with an angular kerf Sal, the inner wall of which forms a continuation of the outer surface of the ring 28 and the outer wall of which, together with the adjacent outer surface of said ring defines a wedge-shaped adjusting portion 35 which is pointed in the direction of operative rotation of the cylinder 11.

In assembling the parts, the ends of the gage portions 26 are fitted in the kerfs 3-1, as best shown in Fig. 6 and in such assemblage forward rotation of the frame 27 with respect to the cylinder 11 will result in the gage portions 26 entering more deeply in said kerfs, and consequently the edges of the gage portions will be spaced from the knife 25 in proportion to the depth at which said gage portions are disposed in the kerfs. It will be obvious that the farther the edegs of the gage portions 26 are moved from the knives 25, the greater will be the thickness of the slice or cut made by said kni es and vice versa. In effecting an adjustment of the gage portions in this manner, a suitable tool is engaged with the squared end 32 of the stem 31 with one hand, the handle 18 is grasped with the other hand, and the frame 28 is turned with respect to the cylinder 11 while the latter is held stationary.

Means are provided for holding the frame 27 against accidental displacement from its desired position with respect to the cylinder ll, since such displacement would naturally vary the desired adjustment and such means preferably comprises a locking projection 36 which is formed upon the outer ring 28, and which engages in any one of a series of openings 37 formed in the cylinder 11 near its outer end, the resiliency of the material of said cylinder permitting of the engagement of the projection 36 in the openings 37 with such force as to hold the frame 27 against accidental movement, but without such force as would prevent the adjustable movement of said frame in the manner above set forth.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the invention includes within its purview the novel removable assemblage of the working cylinder which allows of the interchangeability of such cylinders, the novel construction of th cutting cylinder with knives and opposed gage portions, the novel means for adjusting the gage portions with respect to the knives, and the novel interior reinforcing frame construction.

The invention is also of advantage in that the parts may be inexpensively manufactured, quickly and conveniently setup, easy of adjustment and of ready accessibility for cleaning purposes.

Having fully described our invention, we claim 1. In vegetable cutters of the type set forth, in combination, a rotatable member having a resilient cutting knife and a resilient gage portion opposite to the knife, and means for effecting relative adjustment between the knife and the gage portion to vary the thickness of the cuts made by the knife, comprising a wedge shaped part for insertion between the knife and the gage portion.

2. In vegetable cutters of the type set forth, in combination, a cutting cylinder provided with a slit having angular extensions, said slit forming a cutting knife and an opposed gage portion, and means for adjusting said gage portion toward and away from said knife, comprising a wedge shaped part for insertion between the knife and the gage portion.

3. In vegetable cutters of the type set forth, in combination, a cutting cylinder having a slit formed with angular extensions, said slit defining a cutting knife and an opposed gage portion, and means rotatably assembled with respect to the cylinder and including a wedge-shaped part for engagement with said gage portion to adjustably position the latter with respect to said knife.

4. In vegetable cutters of the type set forth, in combination, a cutting cylinder having a slit formed with extensions, said slit defining a cutting knife and an opposed gage portion, and means for adjusting said gage portion with respect to said knife comprising two rings mounted in the cylinder, and connections between the rings, said rings having each a peripheral wedgeshaped portion for engagement over said gage portion to adjustably position the latter with respect to said knife.

5. In vegetable cutters of the type set forth, in combination, a cutting cylinder having a slit formed with angular extensions, said slit defining a cutting knife and an opposed gage portion, means movably assembled with respect to the cylinder and including a wedgeshaped part for engagement between said knife and said gage portion to effect the relative adjustment there of, and means for holding the adjusting means normally against movement with relation to the cylinder.

6. In vegetable cutters of the type set forth, in combination, a cutting cylinder having a slit formed with angular extensions and defining a knife and an opposed gage portion, a member disposed within the cylinder and rotatable with respect thereto, said member having a wedge-shaped adjusting part for engagement with the gage portion to adjustably vary thev position of the latter with respect to the knife, said cylinder having a line of apertures, and a projection provided on said member for engagement in said apertures.

7. In vegetable cutters of the type set forth, in combination, a working cylinder, supporting means therefor, an operating shaft, and clutch means for turning the cylinder with the shaft when the latter is rotated in one direction, said means disengaging the cylinder when the shaft is turned in an opposite direction.

8. In vegetable cutters of the type set forth, in combination, a working cylinder, supporting means therefor, said cylinder being movable axially of its supporting means, an operating shaft, a plate provided at one end of said shaft and having angular projections, and a plate closing one end of said disk and having openings through which said projections are engaged when the shaft is turned in one direction.

'9. In vegetable cutters of the type set forth, in combination, a cylinder having cutting knives and cooperating gage portions, means rotatably adjustable with respect to the cylinder and having devices associated therewith for effecting relative adjustment between said knives and said gage portions, a hollow operating shaft for rotating said cylinder, and a stem carried by said adjusting means and projecting through and beyond said shaft.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVILLIAM S. MYERS. CHARLES C. KAHNE.

W'itnesses L. F. ZnRross, GEO. STRAUS. 

